Daily Republican., 1887-08-18
FAILUkE OF TAE AIR BRAKE.
Another Depiorabie Railroad Aociden e.
The Cars Orasn Into q signal Tower
Tho Enginser Kilied-l5 Persons In.
jured.

Another D0plorable Railroad Accident
The Cars Urasn Into . signal Tower-
Tho Engineer KiIled-l5 Persons In.
jured.
WASHINGTON, August 1.-THE few
residents In the neigh horhood OF tha
Baltimore and Ohio ''Y" who wtrs up
and on the street at 9 80 O'clock this
morning witnessed singular and start.
ling scene. 1t was no less O spectacle
than that OF train of cars leapinR
from the track and rushing with the
speed Of lightning and the crash of Q
thunderbolt through brick house. In
an instant tho train and the house we're
In heap Of ruins, and the track for some
distance WAS Uttered with debris.
The train was No. 4, the 6t. Louis,
Chicago and Cincinnati express. About
6 80 II came laundering into the city
over the Metropolitan branch, and at
the curve, nearly mile away from the
"Y," began whistling "down brakes. +"
The air brakes, 1t was stated, did not
work, and the engineer began blowing
his distress whistle for the braLemen to
put on the regular brakes.
Either the brakemen did not heed
the signal or 1t WAS not given In time
to be OF use, for the train, flying as q
frightful rate, came laundering on to.
ward the sharp curvs ct the "Y." On
the south side of the "Y,'' In the little
corner made by the intersection Of the
tracks, was looated the railroad signal
tower, . brick structure three stories
high, where men are employed to reRu.
late the signals and the switches ~ the
"Y." When the train turned the sharp
curve of the 'sY" with fearful head way, ,
the car behind the engine jumped the
track and smashed into the signal.
tower, and in IN instant there was .
wreck.
The engine WAS dragged from the
track, and plowiDR through the dirt
and mud distance Of 100 feet, rolled
completely over. There 1t lay, giving
forth Its steam and hot water in great
jets. The steam plowed up the dirt and
| covered the house in front of the engine
With fne layer of yellow mud that
looked like fresh coat of paint. Near
the engine lay Hamilton Brosiug, the
engineer, crushed and dying, and his
fireman with several bones broken
One car WAS crushed and nearly bur.
led under the tracks and tim bers of
the demolished building. Two sleer-
ing coaches and one passenger coach
remained on the track. The mail car,
the express car and the baggage car
we're rolled over and their sides were
crushed. The roof OF one car protrud =
ed from the roof OF the building.
Ambulances were hurriedly sent for,
and corps Of physicians came, sum-
moIed from every direction. Many
Injured passengers were removed and
taken to neighboring houses, or drug
stores, or to hospitals. In this way 18
or 20 people were got out of tha wreck,
some OF them only slightly injured,
others with bones broken and bodies
badly bruised and out.
In the signal tower, on the upper
floor or observatory, William Baxter, o
railroad signalmaD, was at work. On
the ground floor Joseph Haley, q young
man employed by the railroad com.
pany, was engaged in cleaning lamps.
Baxter, 1t appears, realized the i'm.
pending danger in time. He gave q
shout to Haley, and leaped from the
tower to the ground. He broke his
arm In the fall, and WAS pretty badly
shaken up, but seems to have escaped
more serious injury. Haley below,
however, was buried In the ruins of the
house. When he was disinterred 1t
was found that the timbers had fallen
80 as TO protect him from the tons Of
brick and mortar above him. He was
badly frightened and bruised, and
blinded by the lime and plaster.
When the men began to clear away
the wreck there was man in the debris
very much excited, who would not
leave, but showed fight. He dug des.
perately at the broken timbers and
heaps Of bricke. When he was ordered
away by policeman, he turned savage
ly and said: "If You don't leave me
alone I'll kick h out OF you. My
son is there" He was let alone and
continued his desperate struggle unvil
he had uncovered the bruised and bat
terad form Of his son.
The conductor and brakeman, hi
said, worked at the ordinary brakes or
the platform, but accomplished nothing
Forty men, he said, could not hav,
stopped the train the way 1t was going
BALTIMORE, August 1.-THE body
OF man who had papers upon hin
showing him to have been successively
sergeant, lieutenant and captain O
Company A. Fifty.fifth Illinois Volun
teers, was feund on tho Baltimore and
Potomac Railroad track to night, neal
the city. He had been killed by train
He was United States pensioner znd
was born In Boston.
The "csnnon ball". passenger train or
the Union Pacific Road ran into th'
rear of freight train, at Dodge City
Kansas. yesterday morning, tearing
into eplinteTs three cars and the ca
boose. Freight conductor j. N. Elliot